We are dismayed by the pronouncement from the NTUCB, which states that we should pay the 90 Million judgement for the UHS Loan Guarantee. You the readers may be wondering why we feel this way since it has always been the NTUCB’s position to be at odds with the government on any given subject. Well in the matter of this UHS Loan Guarantee, the NTUCB and this UDP, were in agreement with each other at one time. Actually in the original case that saw the matter go to court, the NTUCB was one of the original PLAINTIFFS that took the matter of the UHS Loan Guarantee to court back in 2007. The case was Claim #218 of 2007. The then PUP government was on the other side of the case as one of the respondents. Today the question is why the total about turn by the NTUCB? Are they saying that they were wrong in 2007 ? If that is what they are saying then we would have to accept that they had a change of heart, but according to what we’ve heard from them so far they are saying they were right back then and they are right now. We don’t know how people who are highly educated and some of our brightest minds could be so confused. Many of the players at the helm of the unions are the same persons, except for a few former unionists who have since moved on. Names such as Elena Smith, Dylan Reneau, Luke Palacio, Dale Trujique, Kathleen Flowers, and Mora are some of the front line people who were wielding their influence in 2007 and 10 years later they are still doing the same thing. Our only other conclusion would be that they are pushing a private agenda, perhaps for the PUP. The PUP would benefit if our economy were to crumble; if we were forced to pay this money, plus the hardships that would be visited on the general population, would create a fallout that UDP would never be able to undo.

If we were to follow the position being pushed in certain sectors, then we could easily conclude that the NTUCB is to blame for the ballooning of the bill to the 90 million where it stands today, since they were one of the original plaintiffs that took the Matter to court. Also if we are to take the position that the Government… is the Government… is the Government, then the government is not to blame for the money ballooning to where it is today, since it was not the government that originally took this matter to Court. The government was one of the Co-defendants when the matter went to court and the court ruled in favor of the plaintiff. After there was a change of government the new government abided by the court’s decision and did not pay any money. The government also remained committed to the instructions that the previous government had given to its Attorney and that which he had presented to the court on 14 May, 2007. That instruction to its Attorney Edwin Flowers SC and subsequent undertaking presented to the court by him was that the government would NOT MAKE ANY PAYMENTS under the guarantee until the case was finished. The government regardless of a change, could not in good faith go back on its commitment to the court and make payments. We now know that the PUP reneged on that commitment and did make a payment of 40 MILLION DOLLARS, half of which the bank was forced by the court to return to the government.

Now if this government were to take the advice of the NTUCB and the Chamber of Commerce which has said that it is a debt of honor, to take the 90 MILLION out of the pockets of Belizeans and pay this money to this BLOOD SUCKER, the people of this country will suffer extreme hardships and they will never forgive the UDP. Since the NTUCB is insisting that we pay this blood money, we have a proposal for them. With the NTUCB being the umbrella organization to which the unions that represents GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES belong to, we are making the suggestion that the NTUCB could ask that a portion of their members who are employed and paid by the government to help pay the bill. That suggestion is for them to ask those employees if they will be willing to give up the raises and increments that they received since the UDP got into office and use it to pay the BLOOD SUCKER the 90 MILLION. Let us see what will be the answer the NTUCB gets. We are sure that Belizeans would not have a problem with paying if we were paying for something the government and people owned, but they won’t pay for a hospital that they don’t own. Furthermore they won’t pay for a place where most of them, can’t even afford to enter the doors to get service. The way this feels is like if the PUP and their SELECTED FRIENDS had a party and the regular working class people were not invited, but now the same working class people who were not invited are being ASK NOT ONLY TO PAY THE BILL TO COVER THE COST OF THE PARTY, BUT THEY ARE ALSO BEING ASKED TO CLEAN UP ALL THE GARBAGE THAT WAS LEFT AT THE PARTY LOCATION.

We’d also dare suggest that taxes are raised on the members of the Chamber of Commerce specifically to cover a portion of the bill. Let us not kid ourselves, the people who are now advocating for the payment of the bill do not speak for the majority of their members and much less do they represent the majority of the Belizean people. Just take a walk downtown Albert Street and ask the casual pedestrian if we should pay the UHS 90 million dollar bill and see what they will tell you. The only way that could happen is if parliament votes and as it stands the majority, which is made up by the UDP will vote a resounding NO. The only way a vote of YES would be attained is if the PUP is in office and they would want to again be the puppet master’s slave.

The only way that Belizeans can avoid paying that bill is if we all make sure that the PUP is never elected to office again. We must start with the March 7, Municipal Elections.